Trying Not to Think About It

Trying Not to Think About It
Studio album by
JoJo
ReleasedOctober 1, 2021 (2021-10-01)
Recorded2021
Studios
GenreR&B
Length32:56
Labels
Producers
JoJo chronology
December Baby
(2020)		 Trying Not to Think About It
(2021)		 NGL
(2025)
Singles from Trying Not to Think About It
  1. "Worst (I Assume)"
    Released: August 20, 2021
  2. "Anxiety (Burlinda's Theme)"
    Released: October 1, 2021

Trying Not to Think About It is the sixth studio album[a] by American singer-songwriter JoJo. It was released on October 1, 2021, by Clover Music and Warner Records. Following the release of her first Christmas album December Baby (2020), production began on the "time capsule project" at the start of 2021. She wanted to make a record that encapsulated the feelings she experienced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects it had on her personal life, career, and confidence as a performer. The singer wrote and produced the project alongside Jordan XL, Noise Club, Dernst "D Mile" Emile II, Rob Grimaldi, Cardiak, Nikki Flores, and various other collaborators. With the exception of "B.I.D.", JoJo co-wrote every song on the album.

To promote the album, JoJo embarked on the Trying Not to Think About It Tour which began the day after its release. Trying Not to Think About It was further promoted through the 42-date world tour, JoJo Tour 2022, which began the following year. The project included two singles: a lead single, "Worst (I Assume)", which peaked at number 25 on the Adult R&B Airplay Chart, and "Anxiety (Burlinda's Theme)", released on the same day of the project's release.

Upon its release, Trying Not to Think About It received generally favorable reviews from music critics, being highlighted by several music publications in their year-end lists of the top R&B albums for 2021. Although the project failed to debut on the US Billboard 200, it charted on the Top Album Sales chart at number 80 and debuted at number 56 on the UK Album Downloads Chart.

Background and development

On October 30, 2020, JoJo released her fifth studio album, December Baby, her first album of Christmas music.[1] After having previously rescheduled her Good to Know Tour twice due to the then-ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,[2] she eventually canceled the tour in January 2021, noting that she was planning on having a new album released by 2022.[3]

JoJo first announced Trying Not to Think About It project in a YouTube livestream on May 27, 2021. She labeled it as neither an album nor EP stating: "I really want it to exist in its own little moment, have it look a certain way, feel a certain way and sound a certain way."[4] She described the release as a "time capsule" of how she felt during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying: "The pandemic made all of us come face to face not only with ourselves but with our coping mechanisms."[5]

Recording and composition

Recording sessions for the project were generally conducted at Blackwood Studios in California with additional sessions in California's T4U Studios, Sphere Studios, Luuna's Room; Ameraycan Recording Studios and the Prescription Songs Nashville Studios in Nashville, Tennessee.[6] Trying Not to Think About It has been described as an R&B album.[7]

Promotion

On August 16, 2021, JoJo announced Trying Not to Think About It along with its lead single "Worst (I Assume)".[8] The song was written by JoJo alongside Tiara Thomas, Carl McCormick, and Kelvin Wooten, while produced by Cardiak and Kelvin Wu10. Its accompanying music video was shot in Downtown, Los Angeles with director Alfredo Flores and was shot in one take.[9] On the same day of the project's release, JoJo released its second single, "Anxiety (Burlinda's Theme)", alongside a music video also directed by Flores.[10][11]

Tour

Trying Not to Think About It Tour
Tour by JoJo
Promotional poster for the tour
Associated albumTrying Not to Think About It
Start dateOctober 2, 2021 (2021-10-02)
End dateOctober 11, 2021 (2021-10-11)
Legs1
No. of shows6 in North America
JoJo concert chronology

JoJo announced on her Instagram that the Trying Not to Think About It Tour would commence immediately following the release of the album.[8] The tour was a six-date run of intimate live shows that visited Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Nashville, and Los Angeles. The show included the first live performances of songs from JoJo's fourth studio album, Good to Know. General on sale tickets went on sale on Friday, August 20, 2021, at 10:00 am.[12] Tiara Thomas was announced as an opening act for all tour dates, but on October 2, it was announced that due to unforeseen circumstances Thomas would only appear at the Los Angeles show.[13][14] She further promoted the project through the 42-date world tour, JoJo Tour 2022, which began the following year.[15]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Pitchfork6.3/10[16]

Dani Blum from Pitchfork provided a mixed review of Trying Not to Think About It, who called it her "rawest and most cohesive project to date", but also said that it "too often relies on familiar imagery".[16]

Year-end lists

Publication List Rank Ref.
Yardbarker The Best R&B Albums of 2021 10 [17]
Vibe The 21 Best R&B Albums of 2021 5 [18]
American Songwriter The 41 Best Albums of 2021 2 [19]
Rated R&B 30 Best R&B Albums of 2021 16 [20]

Commercial performance

Trying Not to Think About It failed to debut on the US Billboard 200, but it debuted on the Top Current Album Sales and Top Album Sales chart at number 51 and number 80, respectively.[21] It also made its debut on the UK R&B Albums Chart at number 32.[22]

Track listing

Trying Not to Think About It track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."World of Sunshine" (Intro)
  • Jordan XL
2:42
2."Anxiety (Burlinda's Theme)"
  • Levesque
  • Kennedi Lykken
  • Robert McCurdy
  • Christopher Petrosino
  • Noise Club
4:05
3."Dissolve"
3:31
4."Good Enough" (Interlude)
  • Nikki Flores
2:08
5."B.I.D."
  • Michael Holmes
  • Gracie Ella
  • DZL
3:07
6."Feel Alright"
  • Rob Grimaldi
2:56
7."Fresh New Sheets"
  • Levesque
  • Flores
  • Nikki Flores
4:59
8."Sugar & Carbs" (Interlude)
  • Levesque
  • Levesque
0:21
9."Spiral SZN"
  • Levesque
  • Nate Cyphert
  • Riley Biederer
  • Grimaldi
  • Rob Grimaldi
2:48
10."Nikki's Sound Bath" (Interlude)
  • Levesque
  • Flores
  • Nikki Flores
0:48
11."Worst (I Assume)"
3:08
12."Lift"
  • Levesque
  • James Droll
  • Caroline Baker
Caroline Baker2:23
Total length:32:56

Personnel

Credits were adapted from the album's liner notes.[6]

Musicians

  • JoJo – lead vocals, background vocals, writing, producer
  • Nikki Flores – background vocals, writing, recording
  • Tommy Parker – background vocals

Technical

  • Jordan Orvosh – writing
  • Jordan XL – producer
  • Xu Zhu – recording
  • Tyler Scott – mixing
  • David K. Younghyun – mixing engineer, mixing assistant
  • Kennedi Lykken – writing
  • Robert McCurdy – writing
  • Christopher Petrosino – writing
  • Noise Club – producer, recording
  • Thomas Westly Lumpkins – writing
  • Isabella Sjöstrand – writing
  • Dernst "D'Mile" Emile II – writing, producer, recording
  • Donaldson "DC" Cenatus – mixing
  • Michael Holmes – writing
  • Gracie Ella – writing
  • DZL – producer
  • Elijah Blake – writing
  • Bianca "Blush" Atterberry – writing
  • Rob Grimaldi – writing, producer
  • JinJoo Lee – guitar
  • MoDre – bass
  • Katsuya Sezaki – guitar recording
  • Nate Cyphert – writing
  • Riley Biederer – writing
  • Tiara Thomas – writing
  • Carl McCormick – writing
  • Kelvin Wooten – writing
  • Cardiak – producer
  • Kelvin Wu10 – producer
  • Randy Urbanski – recording
  • James Droll – writing
  • Caroline Baker – writing, producer, recording
  • John Lowell Anderson – mixing engineer assistant
  • Doug Krantz – packaging design
  • Alfredo Flores – photographer
  • Dale Becker – mastering

Charts

Weekly chart performance
Chart (2021) Peak
position
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[23] 56
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[24]80

Release history

List of release dates and formats
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various October 1, 2021
[25]
October 15, 2021 CD [26]
November 18, 2022 Vinyl [27]

Notes

  1. ↑ A variety of sources call Trying Not to Think About It an EP,[28][29][30][31][32] including streaming services[33] and JoJo herself.[34] However, other sources regard it as an album or studio album.[35][36][37][38][39] Given those sources and Wikipedia's guideline, this article will label the project as a studio album.

References

  1. ↑ Folk, Antwane (November 1, 2020). "Listen JoJo's New Holiday Album December Baby". Rated R&B. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
  2. ↑ Mims, Taylor (March 27, 2020). "JoJo Reschedules 'Good to Know' Tour Dates". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 2, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  3. ↑ JoJo [@iamjojo] (January 15, 2021). "🧡🧡" (Tweet). Retrieved March 27, 2026 – via Twitter.
  4. ↑ Creature of Habit Livestream. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024 – via YouTube.
  5. ↑ "JoJo Talks Her New EP, Trying Not To Think About It". Wonderland Magazine. June 29, 2022. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  6. 1 2 Anon. (2021). Trying Not to Think About It (Booklet). JoJo. Clover Music/Warner.
  7. ↑ Konicki, Lisa (October 25, 2021). "JoJo Announces 2022 Tour Dates". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  8. 1 2 Skinner, Tom (August 17, 2021). "JoJo announces new 'capsule project', Trying Not To Think About It". NME. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  9. ↑ "JoJo Talks New Music at American Music Awards: 'If You're a Depressed Millennial, It'll Resonate'". People. Archived from the original on February 20, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  10. ↑ "New music roundup: Pentatonix, JoJo and more | ABC Audio Digital Syndication". ABC Audio. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  11. ↑ Vlamis, Nikos (October 4, 2021). "JoJo premieres music video for "Anxiety (Burlinda's Theme)"". All About Music. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  12. ↑ JoJo [@iamjojo]; (August 17, 2021). "𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 • exclusive tour dates 💙 SO 👏🏼 fucking 👏🏼 grateful to have the opportunity to perform these new songs + some of your favs on 6 intimate ✨ LIVE dates in October along with my incredible talented friend/ special guest @tiara_thomas. ..." Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024 – via Instagram.
  13. ↑ JoJo [@iamjojo] (October 2, 2021). "due to unforeseen circumstances @Tiara_Thomas will only be opening in LA. I'm bummed but it is what it is! Boston - aka TOMORROW. doors are still 7pm and I go on at 9pm. #tryingnottothinkaboutit xo" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021 – via Twitter.
  14. ↑ JoJo [@iamjojo]; (August 17, 2021). "Come see me this October! So excited to be joining my girl @iamjojo for these live dates, tickets go on sale Friday. Gonna be vibessss💞🚀". Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved October 10, 2021 – via Instagram.
  15. ↑ Folk, Antwane (October 27, 2021). "JoJo Announces 2022 World Tour". Rated R&B. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  16. 1 2 Blum, Dani (October 15, 2021). "JoJo: Trying Not to Think About It". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Year in review: The best R&B albums of 2021". Yardbarker. January 16, 2022. Archived from the original on February 20, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  18. ↑ "The 21 Best R&B Albums Of 2021". Vibe. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  19. ↑ "The 41 Best Albums of 2021". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  20. ↑ Folk, Antwane (December 18, 2021). "The 30 Best R&B Albums of 2021: Staff List". Rated R&B. 16. JoJo, trying not to think about it. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
  21. ↑ "JoJo | Biography, Music & News". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart on 8/10/2021". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  23. ↑ "Official Album Downloads Chart". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 28, 2026.
  24. ↑ "JoJo Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  25. ↑ "trying not to think about it by JoJo". Apple Music (US). October 1, 2021. Archived from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  26. ↑ "Trying Not to Think About It EP". JoJo Store. Warner Music. October 1, 2021. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  27. ↑ "Trying Not to Think About It EP". Warner Music. October 1, 2022. ASIN B0BGT2YG3F. Archived from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved October 1, 2022 – via Amazon.
  28. "JoJo on How Mental Health, Depression, and Joni Mitchell's Blue Shaped Her New EP". Consequence. August 30, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  29. Avila, Daniela (August 20, 2021). "JoJo Releases Single 'Worst (I Assume)' —Written from Experience 'Bracing for the Worst'". People. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  30. Bowenbank, Starr (October 29, 2021). "My First Show Back: JoJo on Boston Hometown Show at The Sinclair and Trying Not to Think About It Tour". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  31. Iasimone, Ashley (December 26, 2021). "JoJo and Actor Dexter Darden Are Engaged". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  32. Folk, Antwane (October 1, 2021). "JoJo Releases New Project Trying Not to Think About It". Rated R&B. Retrieved March 28, 2026.
  33. "trying not to think about it - EP by JoJo". Spotify. October 1, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  34. JoJo [@iamjojo]; (August 21, 2021). "have u seen my one-shot video for 'worst (I assume)' yet? 💙". Retrieved March 28, 2026 – via Instagram.
  35. Kaufman, Gil (June 5, 2024). "JoJo Announces 'Over the Influence' Memoir: 'Most Challenging Yet Meaningful Project I've Taken On'". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  36. Gotto, Connor (August 17, 2021). "JoJo announces new album Trying Not to Think About It". Retropop. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  37. Jeffries, David. "JoJo Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  38. Uitti, Jacob (October 6, 2021). "Grammy-Winner JoJo Listens to Her Instincts on New Album, trying not to think about it". American Songwriter. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  39. Dodd, Sophie; Krauser, Emily (October 2, 2025). "9 Artists Who Fought for Ownership of Their Music". People. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
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